Jeff Bezos is nearing the completion of a $10 billion funding round for his artificial intelligence startup, Project Prometheus, according to a report from the Financial Times on April 20, 2026. The new capital is expected to value the company at approximately $38 billion. The funding round, which has not yet been finalized, reportedly includes participation from major financial institutions, including JPMorgan Chase and BlackRock.
Project Prometheus was co-founded by Bezos and scientist Vik Bajaj, a former executive at Google’s life sciences division, Verily. The startup is focused on developing AI models capable of understanding and simulating the physical world, with specific applications in engineering and manufacturing. According to previous reports from the New York Times, the company aims to accelerate production and design processes in sectors such as aerospace, automobiles, and advanced computing.
The startup launched in November 2025 with an initial $6.2 billion in funding, a portion of which was provided by Bezos himself. Since its inception, the company has aggressively recruited talent from leading AI laboratories, including OpenAI, Meta, and Google DeepMind. Project Prometheus currently maintains a workforce of over 120 employees across offices in San Francisco, London, and Zurich.
The $10 billion round follows reports from March 2026 indicating that Bezos is also in discussions to raise a separate $100 billion fund. That vehicle, described in investor documents as a manufacturing transformation vehicle, is intended to acquire industrial companies and integrate them with the AI technologies being developed at Project Prometheus. Targeted sectors for these acquisitions include semiconductor manufacturing, defense, and aerospace.
Bezos serves as co-CEO of Project Prometheus, marking his first operational leadership role since he stepped down as chief executive of Amazon in 2021. While he remains the founder of Blue Origin and executive chairman of Amazon, his role at the AI lab represents a direct return to day-to-day management. Representatives for Project Prometheus, BlackRock, and JPMorgan declined to comment on the funding details when contacted by the Financial Times.
The startup’s technology is designed to move beyond the large language models that have dominated the AI sector. Instead, Project Prometheus focuses on systems that can learn from real-world trial and error to perform physical tasks. This includes simulating air flow for aircraft design or predicting structural failures in mechanical parts. The company’s LinkedIn profile describes its mission as building AI for the physical economy.
The anticipated closing of the $10 billion round would make Project Prometheus one of the most well-capitalized early-stage AI ventures globally. The deal comes amid a broader push by Bezos to secure a significant position in the industrial AI landscape, competing with other major tech figures and firms for dominance in the automation of physical infrastructure and manufacturing.